Lumison plans buy-and-build spree after Bridgepoint investment

Hosting firm looks to become a top-tier two-services player through private equity-backed acquisitions

Built to last: Lumison aims to build one of the UK's top mid-sized service providers through acquisition

Managed service provider (MSP) Lumison is readying itself for a buy-and-build growth spurt after being bought out by investment house Bridgepoint Development Capital.

Lumison specialises in internet, datacentre and hosted services provision and is headquartered in Edinburgh. It owns and operates two datacentres: one in the Scottish capital, the other in London.

Bridgepoint has acquired a majority stake in the MSP for an undisclosed sum, with debt funding for the deal provided by HSBC. The equity firm's portfolio of investments includes production company All3Media and rental specialists Hydrex and Longville Group.

Former Computacenter executive Mark Howling is to become executive chairman of Lumison. His brief is to work alongside the services firm's management line-up to grow the company through organic growth and serial acquisition.

Howling said that the goal is to create a mid-sized services outfit capable of offering enterprise customers a comprehensive range of IT and network services.

"There are very few medium-sized service providers capable of offering clients one trusted partner to meet all of their IT needs, which is what customers say they want," he said. "The acquisition of Lumison gives us a real opportunity to build such a player.”

Lumison founder Aydin Kurt-Elli said: “We now have the firepower available to expand and accelerate the range of services we can offer our loyal customer base thanks to this timely and strategically important development for our business. "